Track and guide construction



1952 D. A. STAFFORD 2,617,693

TRACK AND GUIDE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 9, 1951 W mm Q 7 Patented Nov.11,1952

OFFICE;

: TRACK AND GUIDE CONSTRUCTION Dale Albert Stafford, Littlerock, Calif.-Application April 9, 195l', Serial No. 219,910

tion,fand involves certain features of the'furring strip disclosed inPatent Number 2,061,050, dated November 17, 1936.

glighaive; discovered thatstrips as shown in Fig.

:5; of ,saidpatent, when, used inv the construction as: set forth in theinstant disclosure afford a very practical part of track and guide meanswhereby to facilitate the relative sliding movement of mutuallycooperative elements, say for "example of drawers slidably mounted incabinets,

or in desks, and for panels shiftably supported in walls or partitions,and for innumberable other combinations where it is desirable to havequiet and easy shift of one element as to or on another structuralelement or elements.

An object of the invention is to provide a device which will accomplishthe above stated functions and to provide a track and guide device whichis substantial. durable, light in weight, low of manufacturing cost andin installation expensef.

Further, an aim of the invention is to provide a track and guideconstruction of such form of elements as to require but very smallinstallation space; that is is not bulky in form, and whose parts may beclosely nested for packaging, and warehouse and store stocking, andtransportation;

The i-invention resides in certain advancements in thisf art as setforth in the ensuing disclosure and j-having, with the above, additionalobjects and {advantages as hereinafter developed, and whosejconstructions, combinations and details of inans and manner ofinstallation and operation will be made manifest in the followingdescription of the herewith illustrative apparatus;

3 Qlairns; (Cl. 3083.6)

'If-h'is-j invention i's a track enigma construcdrawer 4.

a desk' orcabinet having vertical" components 2 which are jointed tohorizontal parts suchas bars 3 between which latter is a conventional Itis well known that such drawers are when fairly loaded hard to pull orpush because of the friction set up by "the customary fiat, wide-facedmeeting orbearing surfaces, and further because of poor fitting of thedrawer there is tendency of the drawer to jam.

To remedy these objections this invention provides for the installationof one or more of pairs of mutual or cooperative shoe and railassemblies one of which has functional movement as to the other; andeither of which may be the sta tionary part, the other the movableaccording to the givencase of installation.

In Fig. 2 there is shown, in detail, a shoe 5 formed of light-weightsheet metal, preferably,

bent to present right-angle flanges each of which I has, along its outerface, a medial longitudinal traction wire 6. Fig. 1 shows such a shoewith its re-entrant faces fitted and secured as by gluing or otherwiseto the bottom, inner corner of a side 4s of a drawer-so that onetraction wire faces inwardly and the other faces downwardly. It isunderstood that such shoes will be affixed to both 9 "vice shown inFigs. 3 and 4 as comprising a mem- Q her I of angle-iron cross sectionto present side the length of the flanges.

it being understood that modifications, variations, I

adaptations and equivalents may be resorted to withinfthe scope, spiritand principles of the invention as it is claimed in conclusion hereof.

Figure 1 is a sectional front elevation of a cabinet i n}which thedrawer rail is installed.

Figure 2 is a perspective of the runner or shoe member.

Fi ure 3 is a plan view of a portion of the rail member, and Figure 4 isan end elevation of the rail .member.

Figure 5 is an end elevation of a form of the shoeZ and the rail andguide members as applied to an individual drawer supporting cleat,

Figures 6, '7 and 8 show a modification in which the corrugations of thetrack member run from side to side of the track.

The invention is here shown as incorporated in and bottom flanges.

Each of the sides of said member is provided with a row of parallelbeads or corrugations 10 which run diagonally as to Each of thecorrugations is medially, longitudinally perforated and the edges of theperforations are each bent outwardly as to the ridge of its corrugationto form short, stifi', parallel lips 1.1:.

The cabinet or desk as the cae may be is provided with horizontal, frontto rear, stationary cleats 8 and Fig. 1 shows a track member 1 suitablyfixed to the top face of such a cleat, as by gluing, in such a positionthat the shoe wires 6 -=will track along the rows of lips 1.2: of thefixed track member. The bottom wire of the shoe will transmit thevertical load of the drawer and the side wire of the shoe will take theside thrust reactions of the vertical flange of the fixed track.

Fig. 5 shows a modification of the track assembly for use when there isa central track cleat 8c in place in the desk or cabinet. In this formthe lips la: of a fixed track member 1a here of inverted, channel formand having a top row of lips to receive the vertical pressure wire ofthe shoe 5:: which is of inverted, channel section. It will be seen thatthis form of channel track and guide device provides two-side controlalong the fixed cleat 8c and a top, vertical load track for stabilityand easy operation of the respective drawer.

In some'lcoristructidns the track'm'ember may consist of a simplestraight narrow strip is, Figures 6, 7, and 8 having the beads orcorrugations extending fully from side to side of the strip, And in thiscase the shoe member is also a straight strip 5s about equal in width tothe width 9i it? track strip Is. This constitutes a cheaper form of shoeand track than that shown in Figs. "2', 3

91. sa d. .xe mbexs having a ro of trmsvers cof .ebrrugati ns a on one.iaee. a d the one member having an on ated, t ac ion part iipietaiively bearing 0.1. the ten porti ns of the said corrugations; the saidtraction part consisting of a section of wire fixed rigidly along itsrespective member and riding on a plurality of said corrugations.

2. The assembly of claim 1; and said corrugations being diagonal to theaxis of the member and of the wire.

3. The assembly 01 claim 1; the ridges or the .eorrn e on hail 9. 1mi;oles w th i dinatl outstandin'gbearln'g lips.

DALE ALBERT STAFFORD.

I EEEERENCES CITED The following references are of record in'the file ofthis patent:

- STATES PATENTS

